We serve an amazing God. We serve a God who is infinitely complex, infinitely dimensional, and infinitely powerful. Because of his complexity, God gives us many names in order to get a better understanding of his character. We are given lots of different names throughout the Bible for God. The first name is found in Genesis 1:1, “…God created the Heavens and the Earth.” The name for God here is Elohim, which simply means god. In the Hebrew language Elohim could refer to the God of the Bible or any idol they saw as a god. Because of this, Elohim needed more descriptions for who he is. Elohim is nothing like the false gods people serve. He is so much more. 

The next name we see is YHWH. In English we call him Yahweh or Jehovah. The first time this name is used is in Genesis 2:4 (ESV), “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” The name Lord God is YHWH. The Jewish people saw this name as so sacred they took out all vowels and as such we have put them back in to create a name we could pronounce. 

There are many names for Jehovah using adjectives to describe more of the character of Jehovah. You see Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace, and many more. 

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Today we are going to take a look at one of Jehovah’s names: Jehovah Ra’ah. 

Jehovah Ra’ah is a name David coined for God. Ra’ah refers to shepherding. David uses this name in Psalm 23:1 (ESV), “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Jehovah, the self existing God, is our shepherd-Ra’ah. Let’s take a deeper look into Psalm 23 and discover just who Jehovah Ra’ah is. 

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭(ESV)

He Makes Me Lie Down In Green Pastures

Jehovah Ra’ah makes me lie down in green pastures. God himself searched out the perfect green pasture for us to lie in. He made sure there weren’t any thorns or too many rocks in our pasture. If you are going to lie down in a pasture, you would want to make sure it was soft and smooth. Jehovah Ra’ah does just that for his flock. We can rest, knowing that our shepherd is on the lookout for us. He will guard us as we rest, and even sleep. 

He Leads Us To Still Waters

Jehovah Ra’ah leads us to still waters and restores our souls. Just like he carefully examined the pastures before leading us there to rest, so he does with streams of water. He knows we need water to survive. Still, clean, and clear water is what he goes in search of for his sheep. He knows if the water isn’t clear, it’s likely full of dangerous bacteria that could kill us. If the water moves too quickly, we could get swept away and die. Jehovah Ra’ah finds the perfect place for his sheep to get a refreshing drink of water and leads us there. 

Resting in the green pastures and drinking from that cool, still water helps our souls to be refreshed. Why do our souls need to be restored? Our souls house our mind, will, and emotions. We all need our mind, will, and emotions to reset from time to time. The world is always pulling our attention away from God, and Jehovah Ra’ah refocuses our minds back on him. Having our minds fixed on our shepherd allows our will and emotions to reset back to a homeostasis point. We aren’t too emotional about things, but we also aren’t too unemotional about things either. We have just the right amount of emotions to be healthy. Taking time to rest in that green pasture and drink from that still water is vital to our souls. 

He Restores Our Soul

When our souls are restored, we can be led by Jehovah Ra’ah in the paths of righteousness. We will be able to discern which path is the path of righteousness and which are just imposter paths. What is a path of righteousness? It’s a path of right living. It’s a path that leads to more truth, more revelation of who God is, and more freedom to discover who Jesus created you to be. 

The Valley Of Death

What happens when we get on the wrong path? What if we get on the path that leads to death? What then? We may find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death from time to time. Because of Jehovah Ra’ah, we don’t have to be afraid. We know he is with us even then and will lead us with his comforting staff. He will guide us through this valley of death and place us back on his path of righteousness at the end. 

We may come up against some vicious enemies while we travel through the valley of the shadow of death. These enemies may want to kill us, but Jehovah Ra’ah does something remarkable and even unexpected. He sets up a table with a feast for us to sit at in the presence of our enemies. While we are reclining at the table he anoints us with his oil. He makes our cups overflow with all the good things he set up at this table. 

Goodness And Mercy Will Follow Us

Lastly, Jehovah Ra’ah tells mercy and goodness to follow us all the days of our lives. Mercy and goodness are actual beings, and Jehovah Ra’ah sends them to follow us everyday of our lives. Mercy teaches us to be kind and loving to everyone, including our enemies, while Goodness teaches us to be pleasant and joyful to everyone. 

When our life is over, we shall dwell in the house of Jehovah forever!  

The name Jehovah Ra’ah is important. It shows us a side of God who is nurturing, protective, and a guide for those who choose to follow him. As our shepherd, he knows we will sometimes stray away from him and his path. It’s all good because he has made provisions for those times, and gently guides us back to him and his path. We never have to worry or fret about what is up ahead because Jehovah Ra’ah has already been there and has a plan.

Our job as his sheep is to follow our Good Shepherd, listen to his voice, and trust him. Are you following Jehovah Ra’ah? Do you listen for his voice on a daily basis? Do you trust Jehovah Ra’ah to lead you in the right way, or do you try to figure out the way yourself? It’s not too late to repent, change the way you are thinking, and turn back to your Good Shepherd. He is with you, waiting for you to look for him and follow him. 

Take comfort in the words of Jesus himself, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28 ESV)